Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A delicate white with lots of mineral, flint and sliced apple character. Full to medium body, fresh acidity and a clean finish. Subtle and refined character to this.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
A really fine Sauvignon Blanc, the 2013 Ritual shines from start to finish, a complete wine that is clearly varietal and super rewarding. I can think of few things better than a glass of this wine a dozen freshly shucked Kumamoto oysters at this very moment! Light clear color, faint straw; dried citrus, lemon peel aroma, a bit savory and fine; medium bodied, zippy, yet rewarding on the palate; dry, well balanced; bright citrus peel flavors, light hit of savor; medium to long finish, bright aftertaste. (Tasted: August 12, 2015, San Francisco, CA)
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2013 Ritual Sauvignon Blanc is sourced from the Gloria vineyard, their best vineyard in Casablanca. The whole clusters are pressed and the juice is fermented 50/50 in used oak barrels that are 5-6 years old used before for the Chardonnay and in egg-shaped concrete vats where the wine ages for eight months in contact with the lees, with battonage but using extreme care not to oxidize the wine with a technique they call fill-steel-fill. The wine has a pungent nose with an herbal side, aromas of gooseberries and an unctuous palate where you cannot detect the wood even after you know how the wine is produced. The oak offers subtleness in the texture. The palate has some lemongrass flavors, and overall the wine is tasty and precise, with very good acidity and balance. A great Sauvignon Blanc at great price that I could drink any day.
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Wine Enthusiast
Ritual is Veramonte's top label from Casablanca and this wine is up to snuff. Grassy, green aromas of lettuce and tropical fruits set up a clean, medium-weight palate with grapefruit, gooseberry and lime flavors. A touch of bitter pyrazines rise up on the finish and dance with residual citrus notes and minerality.
Capable of a vast array of styles, Sauvignon Blanc is a crisp, refreshing variety that equally reflects both terroir and varietal character. Though it can vary depending on where it is grown, a couple of commonalities always exist—namely, zesty acidity and intense aromatics. This variety is of French provenance. Somm Secret—Along with Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc is a proud parent of Cabernet Sauvignon. That green bell pepper aroma that all three varieties share is no coincidence—it comes from a high concentration of pyrazines (herbaceous aromatic compounds) inherent to each member of the family.
A region that has become synonymous with some of the best whites of Chile, the Casablanca Valley is full of dozens of bodegas who either grow fruit here or come from outside to source from local growers for their own white wine programs. The valley runs from east to west, which means that its westernmost vineyards receive the most cooling influence from the reliable afternoon sea breezes. The soils also tend to be heavier in clay in the west, whereas the eastern end of the valley is warmer and its soils are predominantly granitic. Sauvignon blanc thrives here, Chardonnay does well and Pinot noir is not uncommon.